I Thought I Just Saw A Ghost
by asirnay
Summary: What happened after the end of episode 7.10
1. Chapter 1

As Callie Torres poured spaghetti sauce over cooked angel hair pasta, she heard a familiar knock on the door. Immediately, she placed the pot back down on the stove.

"Mark", she called out her roommate's name after sucking her teeth. "Did you forget your keys?"

The ortho surgeon went over to let Sloan in, only to find someone else instead. Someone she thought would never see again.

"Okay. So, picture this. I'm in Africa, and everything is _great_. And the people are so nice. And the clinic is amazing. And I'm doing work that actually _feels_ important."

The raven haired beauty stood in the doorway, not believing what she was seeing and hearing. There, in the hallway, was Arizona Robbins. She spoke quickly, as if her life depended on it. Such a display knocked the wind out of Callie's sails.

"I can... I can actually _see _that I'm making a difference. But, I'm _crying_." Her raspy voice was more than enough evidence of the pain she felt while she was away. "Like, constantly. And then, this guy that I work with at the clinic finally asked me what's wrong. And I say that I _miss_ my girlfriend. Like, I really miss her. So, then he asks me if I want to go back, if they could replace me. And then I open my mouth to say no. But, what comes out weirdly instead was _yes_. And so I did. And then I came back".

As Arizona found herself on the verge of shedding tears, she paused to catch her breath. Her beloved Calliope just stood there, trying to process it all. The peds surgeon took note of Torres' new hairstyle. She missed running her fingers through that jet black mane. She longed for the moment when she would get to do it again.

"You look really pretty." Robbins hoped to finally get a reaction of Callie. She hoped to find herself back in her arms and start all over again.

All the ortho surgeon did was simply look at her ex-girlfriend, who stood before her making silent pleas. But, Callie just didn't have it in her to deal with Arizona that night. She slammed the door shut right in her face.

To say that the blonde haired beauty was heartbroken would've been an understatement. But, she didn't come that far only to give up.

"Calliope!" She knocked on the door again. Her raspy voice cracked as she began to cry. "Calliope, please!"

Callie stood on the other side, frozen. She began shaking her head, as her ex continued to knock. Not knowing what to do, she sat down on the couch. Her gaze was fixed on the hardwood floor, hoping that Arizona would go away.

Robbins knocked one final time. Her forehead pressed against the door, she succumbed fully to the tears she tried so desperately to hold back. Callie shed a tear herself, angry at the fact that she allowed this to affect her.

Suddenly, the door to the apartment across the hall opened. The same apartment Robbins and Torres used to call home before deciding to leave for Malawi.

"Look, lady." A man, in his mid thirties, stepped out into the hallway. "It's too late for this. Some of us gotta get up early in the morning for work."

"I'm sorry." Arizona turned towards him as she wiped away tears from her eyes. "I...I was just leaving."

At that moment, he recognized the blonde haired beauty as one half of the couple that he and his wife subletted the apartment from. Seeing Arizona made him a little angrier since her ex kept harassing them about ending their agreement earlier than they intended. Robbins quickly made her retreat down the hallway.

Mark Sloan felt like the luckiest guy in the world. After he and Torres once again put an end to their friends-with-benefits status; he finally managed to win back the woman he truly loved, Lexie Grey. For months, he had been persistent in telling her that he missed her and wanted her back, only to be shot down again and again. He was disappointed, yet he didn't waste his time desperately pining for her. Sloan did what he normally would do with his free time. He had sex. With nurses. And drug reps. And with Amelia Shepherd, the last of Derek's sisters he had yet to sleep with. When Callie admitted that she missed Arizona after sleeping with him, Mark felt relieved. He didn't feel as guilty about thinking of Lexie. He knew it was time to try again. Things hadn't magically healed themselves once he kissed Little Grey. There were many things they had to discuss. But at least, this time she was willing to hear him out.

The plastic surgeon was eager to share the news with his roommate. After dropping Lexie off, he immediately headed home. As he approached the apartment building, he noticed a blonde haired woman quickly walking out of the front entrance. She looked familiar. Perhaps she was someone he had slept with before, but couldn't place her name. Maybe it was the new neighbor that subletted Callie's apartment. But no, this woman was too short. The blonde glanced back at Sloan as she brushed away a tear from her piercing blue eyes. She quickly turned her head and proceeded to walk across the street towards Seattle Grace-Mercy West Hospital.

"Hey, Torres." Mark entered the apartment and removed his leather jacket. "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I thought I just saw Robbins leaving the building."

"You're not crazy".

Sloan turned towards his best friend after hanging his jacket on the coat rack. "What?"

"I said, you're not crazy." Callie took a swig of wine straight from the bottle. "She was here."

"Did you at least talk to her? It looked like she was crying."

"No, I didn't." Torres drank more wine.

"You didn't? You told me this morning that you missed her!"

"I did. I mean, I do. But..."

"But?"

"She just waltzes back over here, and gives me this speech about how miserable she was over in Malawi and now she's back. Like I wasn't miserable here in Seattle." Mark sat beside Callie on the couch. She passed the bottle of wine to him. Sloan immediately took a sip. "Then, she told me I looked really pretty. Like that's going to magically make things right."

"First of all, she didn't just waltz back over here. Malawi is 18 hours away, remember?" Callie looked over at Mark as he put his arm around her. "Second, you _are_ really pretty."

Callie smiled.

"I thought this is what you wanted, Torres. I thought you wanted to make things right with her."

"She left me, Mark. She. Left. Me. Suppose I take her back? Suppose we do make things right? Who's to say she won't just up and leave me again once we hit another rough patch?"

"Well, I can't answer that for you, kid. But, I'll tell you this. She made a _huge_ sacrifice. A huge one. The biggest opportunity she's ever had, and probably ever will have, in her whole entire career. And she gave it all up. For you. In my book, that's got to count for something."

Deep in her heart, Callie knew that he was right. George certainly wouldn't have made such a sacrifice. Erica wouldn't have either. But the reality of it all was just too painful to deal with at the moment. She needed time to figure things out.

Teddy Altman, finally done with her shift, waited anxiously in the hospital lobby to hear from her good friend Arizona. The cardio goddess was the first person she contacted once her plane landed in Seattle. Robbins told her of her intentions to win back the love of her life. It gave Altman a warm feeling inside. It made her believe in the possibility of finding that kind of love for herself again. She wanted someone to look at her the same way Callie and Arizona did each other, full of adoration. Her thoughts returned to Henry, a patient who was discharged from the hospital since had no insurance. She offered to marry him so he could have some coverage. Teddy rarely made such impulsive decisions, but she felt that she couldn't allow him to go back home only to wait around to die.

Altman glanced at her phone for what had to have been the hundredth time. All must've been well between Arizona and Callie. Finally, she grabbed her purse and headed for the parking lot. As soon as she exited the building, she saw the peds surgeon approaching. The look of defeat was in her eyes.

"Aw, sweetie." Teddy sighed. "What happened?"

"I poured my heart out. I really did. And she slammed the door right in my face."

"Come here." Altman stretched out her arms to give her friend a much needed hug.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come back." Arizona took comfort from Teddy's warm embrace. "Maybe I should've just stayed in Malawi and honored my commitment to helping the tiny humans over there."

"But, you would've still been miserable."

"She hates me."

"No, she doesn't. She wouldn't be upset right now if she didn't love you. Callie still loves you, Arizona."

"I deserve any animosity she has towards me. The way I left things...the way I left that gorgeous woman standing in the middle of an airport, crying and broken. I mean, who does that? Who does that to someone they love? I did! I'm a heartless, soul-less monster!"

"No, you're not!" Teddy placed her hand firmly upon Arizona's shoulder and looked her directly in the eye. "Listen to me. You made a mistake. We all do. So, stop beating yourself up, okay? 'Cause, you and Callie? You two are _made_ for each other. You're going to work things out."

Robbins was caught off guard Altman's pep talk. "How could you be so sure?"

"I just know." The cardio goddess smiled, beaming with confidence that picked up her friend's spirits. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Alex Karev stepped off the elevator, extremely tired. Dr. Stark paged him to assist with a surgery after he finished helping Dr. Torres with a hip replacement. He let out a yawn that could wake up the dead. All he could think of was heading back home to Meredith's crowded house and crashing in his bed. He noticed two blonde haired women walking towards the parking lot. One was Dr. Altman, but the other couldn't have been who he thought she was.

A nurse who walked past them entered the building. Karev quickly walked over to her.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes?" The nurse had a crush on the 4th year resident and was a bit nervous when he approached her.

"Was that Dr. Robbins with Dr. Altman?"

"Oh." The nurse was disappointed. "Yeah, she met with the Chief about an hour ago. I think she's coming back."

"She is?"

"Yeah, I think she is."

Karev firmly grabbed the nurse by the arms and planted a kiss right on the lips. When he pulled away, she was flustered.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Alex couldn't hide his elation even if he tried. "Yes! She's back! She's back! Wooo!"

Instead of going home, Karev headed straight to Joe's to have a celebratory drink.

"Hey!" The nurse yelled out in vain after him. "Call me!"


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm moving out." Callie Torres declared, as she and Mark Sloan ate breakfast together. She was nearly done with her western omelet while he helped himself to a second bowl of corn flakes.

"Why?" The plastic surgeon looked somewhat perplexed by his best friend's announcement. "You don't have to leave. You can stay until you get your old place back."

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Mark. You and Lexie are trying to work things out. And I don't want to get in the way of that."

"Okay." Mark chewed and swallowed a spoonful of cereal as he realized that his best friend was right. "So, where will you go? Have you found a new place already?"

"I'm going back to the Archfield."

"Nice."

"Yeah, I miss their room service. I love to cook, but I could use a break. With all that's been going on, especially with you-know-who leaving me at the damn airport, I figured I'd pamper myself. Besides, I think I should try being alone for awhile."

"Well, I'll miss your company, Torres."

"We'll still see each other at work, Mark. Jesus!" Callie began to giggle. Her infectious laughter put a smile on Sloan's face. "And we'll still have an occasional drink at Joe's. We're always going be friends. Just without the sex."

"Yeah."

"And you have to promise me, even after I have a bad break-up...'cause let's face it. With my track record, it's _bound_ to happen. No matter how sad, desperate, lonely or straight up horny I get, if I ask for sorbet again, you _have_ to say no." Callie waved her index finger at Sloan to emphasize her point. "Well, unless it's the kind you get from the supermarket."

"I promise." Mark chuckled. "Scout's honor."

They shared a laugh as they continued with their breakfast.

Arizona paced in front of Mark's apartment, trying to figure out the right words to say to Callie that wouldn't result in having the door shut in her face again. She decided to go for broke and say what came to mind. Right before she knocked, Robbins heard the sound of the locks being unfastened. The door opened. Once she got a glimpse of her beloved Calliope, the corners of Arizona's lips curled into a smile.

"Oh, for the love of God." Torres was immediately irritated at the sight of her ex. She ignored the peds surgeon as she locked the door behind her. The ortho surgeon then brushed right past Robbins, heading for the elevator.

"Calliope, wait!" Arizona stepped back in front of the raven haired beauty.

"Don't you dare 'Calliope' me. Please. Just leave me alone. I'm going to be late for work."

"Just hear me out. I just need a few minutes of your time."

Callie glared hard at her ex. She rolled her dark brown eyes and exhaled. "You've got two. Make 'em count."

"I love you." Arizona's declaration was met the sound of Callie sucking her teeth. "I do. And what I did to you, I know I can't take it back. If I could, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I just want to say that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Calliope. And I got my job back at the hospital. And if you let me, I want to make this right. I can't fathom the idea of you hating me."

"Oh, really? You should've thought of that before you decided to get on that plane without me! This whole mess started because you think it's all about you! Sure, winning the Carter-Madison was a wonderful thing. I don't deny that. Not all. But, how could I possibly be happy for you knowing that you didn't take our relationship into consideration when you accepted that grant? Instead of being all about you, it should've been about us. We were trying to build a future together! You said I was ruining Africa for you. Well, you ruined our relationship for me!" Callie paused after giving her a piece of her mind. "Oh. One more thing. In case you were wondering, yes. I did sleep with Mark while you were gone."

Arizona's lips pursed together. She had worried for quite some time that Callie would go back to having sex with her best friend. She stood in the hallway, paralyzed by her ex's revelation. Torres brushed past her, heading towards the elevators. The peds surgeon looked over her shoulder as the raven haired beauty turned the corner. Her breathing became heavy. On the verge of hyper ventilating, Robbins tried to calm herself down. Her legs feeling shaky, she leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. Arizona cradled her face with both hands as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her quiet sobs amplified the overwhelming feeling of defeat.

Alex Karev woke up feeling energized. He hadn't been excited to go work in quite sometime. The Chief confirmed that Dr. Arizona Robbins was indeed returning to Seattle Grace-Mercy West. By the time his roommates at Meredith's struggled to get out of bed, Karev was already out the door. He didn't care why his mentor was back, or whether or not she patched things up with Torres. All that mattered to him was that he would be back on her service instead of Stark's. Karev gathered all his patients' charts for post-ops. Robbins was the exact opposite of Stark. She was compassionate about the well being of the tiny humans, her name for those in her care. Alex's mentor would be willing to hear him out in regards to treatment, whether she agreed with him or not. Stark would be totally dismissive either way, since he didn't come up with the solution on his own. He wasn't interested in teaching, just giving orders. Robbins took as much joy in teaching as she did in caring for the tiny humans. She wanted very much for Karev to succeed.

Stark rarely showed up before 10 A.M., requiring his residents and interns to do the heavy lifting in the meantime. Karev checked his watch, anticipating his mentor's arrival. As soon as the feeling of disappointment began to set in, he heard a familiar sound from behind. As he turned around, a smile began to grow on his face. Dr. Arizona Robbins glided towards him on her Heelys. Just as eager to work with her student, she smiled back at Karev. Her dimples were on full display. One would never have known she received heartbreaking news half an hour earlier.

"Dude, I am so glad to see you. Welcome back."

"I can't believe I actually missed being called that. Thanks." Arizona giggled. "So, what cases have you and Stark been working on?"

"Ashley Bedford, 10 weeks old, cleft palate repair." Karev handed his mentor the patient's chart. "I did post-ops right before you got here. She's coming along just fine."

"Okay. Hmmm." Dr. Robbins skimmed carefully through the chart. "Everything looks good so far. I still want to see her in person though. Next?"

"Brandon Taylor, born premature, about 32 weeks old. Necrotizing enterocolitis. I assisted Stark in resecting the bowel."

"Was the bowel perforated?"

"Nope, the tissue was just dead."

"Okay. I want a serial supine and left lateral decubitus abdominal roentgenogram. When were the last ones done?"

"About 4 this morning. I went ahead and ordered another round since it's almost 10."

"Good for you, Karev." Dr. Robbins high fived her student. "You know, they could've used someone with your raw talent over in Malawi. Maybe, someday you could win the Carter-Madison."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really." Arizona's gleeful expression turned serious. "If you do, please don't make the same mistake I made."

There was awkward silence. Karev's mind filed in the gaps. His mentor did indeed come back for her girlfriend. But judging from her somber tone, Torres must have turned her away.

"And the last case," Alex broke the quiet first. "Georgina Scott, 12 years old, appendectomy."

"Thank you. I want to see Brandon right after his roentgenograms are done. In the meantime, we can check on Ashley and then Georgina."

Dr. Phil Stark finally arrived at the hospital at 10:30 A.M. After changing into his navy blue scrubs, he went out to the coffee cart and bought a himself a cup and a blueberry muffin. He sat in the attendings' lounge and read the paper. Fellow attendings Dr. Vogel from Neuro and Dr. Rice from Cardio debated with him about the basketball the night before until Rice was paged. Stark checked his watch. It was 11:20. There were patients that needed to be tended to. Hopefully, their parents wouldn't bombard him with questions.

The charts that Dr. Stark needed were already taken from the nurses' station. He figured Karev picked them up and was checking in on the patients. Georgina Scott would be the first one that he'd look in on himself. Dealing with appendectomies was relatively easy.

When Dr. Stark arrived at Georgina's room, he found not only Karev but a blonde haired woman also dressed in navy blue scrubs. She sat on the bed beside the little girl. Georgina smiled brightly at the pretty doctor, which in turn made her parents smile. Alex tried hard to mask a smile of his own. Stark was anxious to find out who this woman was.

"Karev, who is this woman and why is she seeing my patient?"

"Oh, hi." Alex's mentor responded before he had the chance to. She rose up from Georgina's bed, extending a hand towards the angered attending. "I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins. You must be Dr. Stark."

Phil glared at her in disbelief. "I thought I was here to replace you."

Robbins, lowering her hand, gestured towards the doorway. "Perhaps we should take this conversation out in the hall."

"Why are you seeing my patients?" Dr. Stark fired the question off before Arizona had the chance to speak.

"Dr. Stark, all I'm doing is accompanying Karev. You hadn't arrived yet and he didn't have anyone to report to. I've just been rehired, but as an attending only. I'm not here to step on anyone's toes, I assure you."

"What you're doing is very unprofessional. There are plenty of other..."

"Excuse me? Unprofessional? Let me tell you the definition of unprofessional, _Doctor_ Stark. Unprofessional is not bothering to show up until you feel like it. Unprofessional is having your residents do all the work for you because can't be bothered to lift a finger, except to collect your check! You are very negligent when it comes to patient care. You don't interact with their parents, leaving them very concerned and full of unanswered questions. Like it or not, you must take of the parents as well. They should not be ignored."

"Are you finished with your little speech?"

"If you have an issue with me being here, I strongly suggest you take it up with Dr. Webber."

Without a word, Dr. Stark stormed off towards the Chief's office.

"Nice." Karev peaked out in the hallway, smiling admirably at his mentor. She echoed the sentiment with a smile of her own.

"You told Blondie about us?" Mark walked in step with Callie, hands planted firmly inside his pockets. "Ouch! I imagine she didn't take that well. But, why? Why did you tell her? It's not like you owe her any explanation. You broke up with each other."

"I don't know why I told her. I guess...I guess I just wanted her to leave me alone."

"So, basically you used me to put some distance between you and your girlfriend. You're a wonderful pal, Torres."

"_Ex-_girlfriend. And I didn't use you. I just confirmed her suspicions. She always had it in the back of her mind that I'd leave her for you."

"Funny. Robbins never struck me as the type to be insecure."

"Well, it's neither here nor there. We're over. And that's that."

"Somehow, I doubt that. But if you insist..."

"Shut up, Mark." Callie nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Morning, Katy. Can I have mine ..."

"Light and sweet." The coffee cart girl handed Dr. Torres the already prepared cup of coffee. "Just the way you like it."

"Oh, thank you." Callie flashed her mega-watt smile as she paid for her usual morning beverage.

"What'll you have, Dr. Sloan?" The coffee cart girl turned her attention to the plastic surgeon.

"One coffee, black, two sugars and another light and sweet."

"For Lexie?" Callie nudged him again. "Aww. That's cute."

"At least I'm trying, which is more than I can say somebody I know."

"Mark, please. No more talk about me and Arizona, okay? I told you before we're done."

"Somehow, I think the lady protests too much." Sloan flashed his trademark smirk. The coffee cart girl handed him two cups, which he then paid for. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a gorgeous brunette waiting for her coffee. I don't want to keep her waiting"

Callie stood there alone as Mark re-entered the building. She began to wonder if things weren't truly over between her and Arizona. Thoughts of the passionate kiss they shared in the elevator after their first break-up lingered in her mind. She wanted very much to experience that again. There was no denying that she still had feelings for the peds surgeon. Being abandoned by someone she loved was something, unfortunately, Callie had gotten used to. Yet, Arizona came back and that scared her. She needed to sure before she was ready to open her heart to her again. All she needed was a sign.


	3. Chapter 3

"What's the meaning of re-hiring Arizona Robbins without informing me?" Phil Stark was known for many things during his tenure at Seattle Grace-Mercy West, but tact obviously wasn't one of them. He barged into Chief Richard Webber's office as he met with Felicity Bradshaw, the hospital's accountant, to discuss budgeting concerns.

"Dr. Stark, I'm in the middle of a meeting here." The Chief glared at the head of peds with disbelief. None of his other surgeons would have the audacity to enter his office in such a manner. "We can discus your concerns with Dr. Robbins another time."

"No, we need to discuss this _right_ now!"

Webber looked over at Felicity, who immediately got the hint. She exited the office, shutting the door behind her.

"Have a seat, please." The Chief gestured towards the vacant chair in front of his desk. Stark waived off his employer's invitation, wearing a sour look on his face. Webber folded his arms in front of him and cleared his throat. "Okay, then. Let me ask you something, Dr. Stark. What time did you get here this morning?"

"Oh." Phil felt disarmed by Webber's question. "About 10:30."

"10:30? That's a little late for you, isn't it?"

"Well, see, I had a, uh, personal matter to tend to. I couldn't get here before then."

"Is everything all right?"

"No. I mean, yes. Yes. Everything is fine, sir. Nothing to be worried about."

"That's good. But still, you should've called me so I could have another peds attending cover your cases and handle your residents. Fortunately, Dr. Robbins took initiative. I hope that isn't why you have an issue with her now, is it?"

"No. No, sir, absolutely not."

"Good. That's good. You've only been here a short time, Dr. Stark. So, let me fill you in on a few things about Seattle Grace-Mercy West that you might not know about. This may be a very large hospital, yet I'm well aware of everything that goes on here. Your coming in at 10:30 every morning has become a frequent occurrence and I seriously doubt that you've had a 'personal matter' to tend to every single day."

The brash confidence that fueled Phil began to deflate.

"To be honest, Dr. Stark," The Chief continued. "I haven't been satisfied with your work during the time you've been here. I'm also well aware of you taking credit for Dr. Karev's idea when you treated the liver patient a few weeks ago. One thing I can't tolerate from my doctors, next to laziness, is fraud. This is your first and only warning. If I don't see some improvement, and _fast_, then Dr. Robbins being re-hired will be the very least of your worries. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Phil reluctantly answered.

"Good. You may leave now. And if you happen to see the accountant outside of my office, please send her back in."

The head of the peds department exited in defeat.

"You're seriously going to marry this guy?" Arizona Robbins looked astounded by the news she just received. "Teddy..."

"Well, it isn't so much a marriage." Dr. Altman entered the hospital cafeteria along side her fellow attending and good friend. "It's more like...an arrangement of convenience. Isn't that what being married is like anyway?"

"I wouldn't know." The peds surgeon handed over to Teddy an orange tray while keeping one for herself. "You're asking the wrong person."

"Maybe someday, that won't be the case. Maybe someday you'll be marching down the isle with a certain ortho surgeon."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Arizona turned her attention to the woman behind the counter serving food. "Lasagna, please."

"Make that two." Teddy chimed in. "Thanks."

"So, she slept with Mark. You two were broken up. You can't hold that against her."

"You don't understand. Mark has been a constant in Calliope's life, long before I was even in the picture. Over the years, they've developed this pattern. She broke up with George the first time. She slept with Mark, on the first night night they met. After she married and divorced George, she starts having feelings for Erica Hahn. They have some issues. Instead of talking it out, she sleeps with Mark."

"_But_," Teddy interjected, as she received her plate of lasagna. "After _you_ two broke up the first time, she didn't sleep with him, now did she?"

Arizona realized that her friend made a valid point.

"Dr. Robbins?" The woman behind the counter called out, ready to hand over a second plate of the daily special.

"Oh, sorry." Embarrassed to have been caught in a daze, the shorter blonde received her lunch.

"I'm just saying, Arizona. Once you came into the picture, Callie broke that pattern. She had a relapse. She thought she'd never see you again. What was she supposed to do? Become a nun? You should've seen her. You really hurt her. One night, some of the attendings went out for drinks together. She asked me if you mentioned her. She just looked so sad. I couldn't bring myself to tell her that you didn't ask about her. Why didn't you? I _know_ you. I know you were thinking about her the whole time you were in Malawi. Or else, we wouldn't even be having this conversation face to face. It seemed like in all the e-mails and all the phone calls, you purposely avoided talking about her."

"I don't know." Arizona grabbed a small container of yogurt from the counter. "Once I ended up in Malawi alone, I just tried to throw myself into my work. I figured 'out of sight, out of mind'. But then I found myself, like, in this emotional tug of war. My mind is on one of the rope and my heart is on the other."

"I can take a really good guess what won that battle." Teddy reached over for a small bowl of salad. "You can't control everything, Arizona. Sometimes, it's good to throw caution to the wind. Callie is one hell of a woman. She's definitely worth the risk. But, I think you know that already."

Arizona smiled as she passed the cardio goddess an empty cup. That smile quickly faded once she saw who entered the cafeteria. Callie and Mark wore matching grins, probably having just shared a private joke. And knowing Sloan, it was a dirty one. The peds surgeon filled her cup with iced tea from the self-service soda dispenser. Teddy looked over at them and then at her friend. She patted Arizona gently on the shoulder to comfort her.

The two blonde surgeons sat together after paying for their lunches. Teddy dug right in, while Arizona kept watching Callie as she stood in line to purchase her own lunch. At that moment, she looked so happy. Her infectious laughter was heard clearly above all the chattering going on.

"What's wrong?" Altman finally noticed her friend longing for her ex.

Robbins turned face forward. "I think I just lost my appetite."

Callie knew Arizona had been watching her from afar. She felt her ex's piercing blue eyes gaze at her from every angle. Torres begged Mark to keep telling her dirty jokes to distract her . Reluctantly, he obliged. He continued his barrage of blue humor until they left the lunch line. They purposely chose a path towards the other side of the cafeteria, steering clear of Arizona and Teddy. The peds surgeon sighed, but what she saw next made her perk up a bit. Sloan and Torres went their separate ways. Lexie Grey awaited her boyfriend's arrival. She greeting him with a kiss on the lips. Callie waived at her, opting to sit alone a few tables away.

"Mark and Little Grey are back together?" Robbins inquired.

"Yep." Teddy responded before taking another bite of lasagna.

"Hmmm." Arizona picked her fork to begin eating her lunch.

"Will you be needing anything else, Dr. Torres?" The concierge looked up from his computer screen to address Callie directly.

"Umm. Not right now." The raven haired beauty picked up an long envelope, containing the key card to her room, from his desk. "Maybe I'll call for room service once I'm settled in. Thank you so much though."

"And thank you for once again choosing the Archfield. Enjoy your stay."

"Good night."

Callie boarded the elevator, her wheeled suitcase in tow, with several other guests of the hotel. She got off on the 10th floor. After entering her room, she immediately crashed upon the comfortable bed. Exhausted from work, Torres didn't even bother to take off her leather jacket or her shoes. Word got out about her minimally invasive hip replacement surgery. One patient even came all the way from Los Angeles to have the procedure done, something she would have to brag to Addison about the next time they spoke. The Chief was more than pleased with the publicity it generated for the hospital. Perhaps Callie's star was finally beginning to rise. Ortho was low on the totem pole in terms of respect. Even her fellow attendings disregarded her specialty. Instead of wallowing in self-defeat, she relished in her underdog status. It fueled her to work even harder. In Callie's mind, she was already a rock star with a scalpel. It was only a matter of time before others would begin to recognize that. Perhaps that time was now.

As she began to drift off into a well deserved sleep, Callie's Blackberry began to ring. She groaned out of frustration as she tried to fish it from her pocket. Her eyebrow arched in surprise when she saw the name on the caller ID.

"Hello?" Callie spoke while her eyes were closed. She remained laying flat upon the bed.

"Hey, bitch!" A youthful voice spoke. Loud music and numerous voices lingered in the background.

"Aria!" Agitated, the ortho surgeon sat upright on the bed. "I told you before I don't like being called that. I'm not one of your little friends you run around with in Miami."

"Okay then. Hello there, sister dearest. How do you do?" The younger Torres' voice dripped with sarcasm, causing her elder sibling to frown.

"I'm hanging up, Aria. Bye."

"Alright, alright! Callie, don't hang up! I'm sorry. Geez!"

"What do you want? You never call me unless you want something."

"Wow, what's up with all the hostility? Can I just call my big sister just to see how she's doing? Mom told me what happened with you and your girlfriend breaking up and her going to Africa without you."

"That happened a month ago, Aria. You're kind of late checking in on me."

"Again, I'm sorry. I just got back from vacation. Me and my girls hit up Amsterdam."

"Vacation? Vacation from what? You're not doing anything!"

"I'm celebrating my graduation from college."

"That was six months ago."

"You know me. The party never stops."

"Hmph. I can tell. I hear it in the background. What are you celebrating this time?"

"This is our welcome back party."

"You're hopeless, Aria. When are you going to grow up and do something with your life instead burning through your trust fund?"

"You must be alright now. 'Cause there you go, criticizing me again."

"I criticize because I care. You're young. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can do anything. Instead, you'd rather live out 'Sex In The City' with your friends."

"Alright, I'm done with being lectured. And personally, I'm insulted that you'd compare me and my girls to that shitty TV show. We're more like 'Jersey Shore'."

"Oh, even classier." Callie delivered a dose of sarcasm back at her sister.

"Whatever. Before I go, Daddy told me to tell you that he's shipping you that dinosaur you call a car back to Seattle tomorrow by cargo plane."

"That _dinosaur_ is a classic." The ortho surgeon spoke in defense of her baby blue '57 Thunderbird. "But, you wouldn't know anything about that."

"And I don't know wanna know either. I like my Hummer just fine, thank you very much!"

"Gas guzzler is more like it. But you can afford it, for now."

"Goodbye, Callie. I got better things to do than to argue over who's car gets better mileage."

"That would be mine." The elder sibling smirked with satisfaction when she heard Aria suck her teeth. "You know, you should come out here and visit me some time."

"It's so boring out there. There's nothing to do. It rains all the time. Need I go on."

"I just figured I ask. I haven't seen my little sister in person in over a year. And my schedule is super-crazy since I got re-hired..."

"Alright. Alright. I'll think about it. Cut off the guilt trip, please."

"Cool. Talk to you later."

"Bye, bitch!" The younger Torres immediately hung up.

"Aria!" Callie growled once she heard the line go dead. The raven haired beauty laid back down with a smile on her face. She actually missed bickering with her sister and hoped she'd give her invite to visit some serious consideration.


	4. Chapter 4

Doctors Alex Karev and Jackson Avery entered Seattle Grace-Mercy West together. The roommates caught a ride with Meredith Grey and April Kepner, who followed right behind them. Occasionally the two have had conflict with each other, whether it was Alex making it clear that Avery and his friends weren't welcome after the merger or Avery defending Kepner's honor at Owen and Cristina's house warming party. Since then, they've maintained an unspoken truce.

"So, you're still on Dr. Robbins service?" Avery asked as Karev took a sip of coffee.

"Yep." Karev grinned.

"What's up with Stark then?"

"He can go to hell for all I care."

"Ouch." Jackson chuckled. "Well, I'm on Dr. Torres' service today."

"Good for you." Alex said dryly.

"You think her and Robbins are getting back together?"

"Dude, do I look like freakin' Gossip Girl to you?" Alex scowled at his roommate.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, c'mon, Torres is hot. Right?"

"You won't get any argument out of me about that." Karev took another sip of coffee, briefly remembering the one night stand he had with the ortho surgeon years ago.

"I was just asking if, you know, if she was available..."

Alex spit out his coffee and erupted into laughter. "You and Torres?"

"It can happen." Avery's reply made Karev laugh even harder.

"Oh, you _are_ serious." The up and coming peds surgeon wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket as he noticed his roommate's silence. "Well not to speak bad about the dead, but the fact that her ex-husband resembled a freakin' Hobbitt, you might actually have a shot."

Karev patted Jackson bluntly on his back before stepping aboard the elevator. Avery followed suit.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." The blue eyed resident said sarcastically.

"Anytime, man." Alex gulped the last of his coffee. "Anytime."

Callie read through a raunchy text message forwarded to her from Mark as she waited for the elevator to return to the lobby. She quickly replied before the bell dinged. The raven haired beauty stepped aboard and pressed the button marked 6.

"Hold the elevator!" A familiar voice called out to her. "Hold that elevator!"

Torres pressed "door open", hoping the person yelling frantically wasn't the same person she was trying to avoid. Her wishes were crushed as Arizona Robbins entered the elevator.

"Thank you. Oh." The peds surgeon was genuinely surprised to see her ex. "Good morning, Callie. I didn't realize it was you."

The fact that Arizona used her nickname caught the ortho surgeon off guard. She remembered ordering her ex not to use her full name. Callie didn't count on her abiding by her wish. The way Robbins said "Calliope" was so soothing and melodic that she didn't mind being called that. Her parents were the only other exceptions.

"Good morning." Callie responded as she tucked her Blackberry inside of her pants' pocket.

They both avoided eye contact with each other, opting to look at the number increase as the elevator rose higher. The last time they broke up and found themselves alone, Arizona showered Callie with passionate kisses. The peds surgeon looked over at her ex, fighting the urge to do it again. Callie noticed the blonde haired beauty stealing glances at her.

"Listen." Arizona broke the awkward silence. "I know we're not together. But, we're both back at the hospital now. And the last time we were broken up, we tried to be friends but that didn't quite work out. If you don't want to be friends, then I can respect that. We're both two mature adults and I hope we can at least be civil towards one other. How does that sound? You agree?"

"Hmm." Callie mulled it over. "I agree."

Arizona extended her arm towards her ex. Torres shook her hand. They savored the feel of each other's skin before letting go. The bell dinged once more, signalling that the elevator doors were about to open.

"Okay, then." Robbins flashed the raven haired beauty a slight smile. "I hope you have a nice day."

The ortho surgeon looked back at Arizona after she stepped off the elevator. "You have a nice day, too."

After the doors shut, Callie lingered in front of the elevator as it continued to carry her ex to the tenth floor. She couldn't help but wonder if she had just made the right decision. Arizona exhaled, relieving herself of the tension she felt in her stomach. She didn't like the compromise that her beloved Calliope accepted, yet she'd rather deal with her on those terms than not at all.

"Dude, what the hell is that?" Alex Karev pointed at what Jackson Avery held carefully in his hand. April Kepner looked up from her chart to pay attention to her roommates' conversation.

"A cup of coffee. Duh! It's amazing who they allow to become doctors nowadays."

"I know it's a cup of coffee, moron. My point is I've never seen you drink any."

"I have coffee from time to time. But, if you must know, I got this for Dr. Torres."

Kepner snorted with laughter and returned her attention to her patient's chart.

"Dude, seriously?" Alex chuckled. "You mean to tell me you're actually gonna try winning Torres over with a cup of coffee? O' Malley had more game than you, and that's saying something."

April snickered again, drawing the attention of her roommates.

"I know you got something to say, Kepner." Karev stared daggers at the talkative resident. "Go 'head. Spill, even though we don't really wanna hear it."

"Nope." April replied without looking up from her chart. Alex turned towards Avery and gave him a look of disbelief. The blue eyed resident did nothing more than shrug in response.

"Uh, are you alright?" Jackson asked his chatty roommate with an once of concern.

"Yeah, never better. Why?"

"It's just that..." Avery's voice trailed off, momentarily at a loss for words.

"It's just that you always poke your nose in everyone's business." Alex interjected.

"I'm trying something new." Kepner finally looked up from her chart. "I'm not obligated to always give my opinion on everything. So I'm not saying a single word."

April walked away from the nurses' station, clutching her chart like a schoolgirl. Both Karev and Avery looked on as she made her departure.

"Not that I care, but should I be worried?" Alex looked at his roommate, somewhat perplexed.

"Be afraid, Karev. Be very afraid."

"You sure you don't want me to fly up there and kick her ass?" Addison Montgomery sat behind her desk at Oceanside Wellness Center, the co-op medical practice where she worked since leaving Seattle Grace years ago.

"No, that won't be necessary." Callie Torres, now changed into her navy blue scrubs and white lab coat with rolled up sleeves, smiled at her good friend wanting to protect her. "I'm fine. Really. So, how are things with you and Sam?"

"We're good actually." Addison grinned at the mention of her new beau. "We've had our ups and downs, but for the most part, we're still going strong. Oh, speak of the devil..."

As if right on cue, Dr. Sam Bennett entered his girlfriend's office and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Hey you." He smiled as he pulled away from her.

"Hey yourself." Addison's smile grew even wider.

"Let me guess. You're on the phone with Callie?"

"Yep. She says 'hi', by the way."

"Tell her she might as well come on back down to L.A. The two of you are inseparable, even with a few states in between. And tell her to bring her girlfriend. She loved it down here."

"Uh..." Addison's expression changed, mouthing out the words "They broke up."

"Oh, well. The invitation still stands regardless. With or without Dr. Robbins." Sam leaned in and gave his girlfriend another kiss. "I gotta run to the hospital. Catch you later."

"You're the best." Addison beamed at her boyfriend.

"I know." He replied before exiting the office.

"You caught all that?" The fiery auburn resumed her telephone conversation.

"Mmm hmm." Callie replied.

"And?"

"It's tempting. Now's not a good time. But, I'll be back in L.A. to visit as soon as I can."

"Callie, you sure you're okay? I could come up and hang out with you for a few days."

"No. You don't have to do that. I'm fine." The ortho surgeon replied. "Besides, you seem to have a lot on your plate down there. Speaking of which, how's your friend, Charlotte?"

"Charlotte and I aren't exactly friends." Addison spoke of Dr. King, a colleague at Oceanside Wellness who was recently assaulted and raped. "She was actually pissed off at me for trying to help her. But now, she's just doing the best she can, one day at a time."

"That's all anybody can do after going through something like that."

"True. And how's your old roommate, Yang?" Addison inquired about Cristina, once an ambitious surgeon who recently quit her residency at Seattle Grace-Mercy West, months after suffering through traumatic experience during the shooting spree that occurred at the hospital.

Callie sighed. "The same. Taking it one day at a time. It's weird, though. On one hand, she seems fine. But on the other hand, she just seems ...lost."

"I can't even imagine what it must've felt like being in that situation, being face to face with the shooter, while trying to save Derek. He may not be my husband anymore, but I'm eternally grateful to her that he's still alive."

"Yeah, it was definitely scary as hell." Torres remembered her own confrontation with Gary Clark, the man who gunned down dozens of people, including Addison's ex-husband and Alex Karev. The incident occurred the last time Callie and Arizona had gone their separate ways, and resulted in their reconciliation. That same incident put things in perspective for both women. In spite of their issues, they resolved to be together no matter what. Callie wondered to herself whatever happened to that determination to remain a couple. Her eyes shifted down the hallway as she noticed Jackson Avery approaching her. "Hey, Addie. I gotta go. My resident is here."

"Alright. I'll call to check on you later."

"I know you will." Callie smiled before she and Addison said their goodbyes. The ortho surgeon wished she could just drop everything to go to Los Angeles. But, she knew running away from her problems wouldn't solve anything.

" 'Morning, Dr. Torres." Avery wore a confident grin as he attempted to hand over the cup of coffee to its intended recipient.

" 'Morning, Dr. Avery." Callie glanced down at what Jackson held in his hand and chuckled. "No thanks. I already had some." She reached over for her patient's chart that was resting on the counter at the nurse's station. "And for the record, trying to brown nose won't win you any extra points with me." The corners of Torres' lips curled up into a smirk. "Okay. We've got a knee replacement scheduled for this afternoon. Meet me at Room 210 whenever you're done with that."

Jackson's ego deflated as his attending walked down the hall. Out of nowhere, Karev swooped in and claimed the cup of coffee that his roommate held for himself. Looking over his shoulder, Alex flashed his roommate a devious grin as he nodded. Avery huffed as he shook his head in disbelief. He proceeded to walk towards his patient's room to rendezvous with Dr. Torres.


End file.
